Things I’m Loving Friday #230

Hello to my favorite internet friends! How are you guys!? I’m pretty pumped that Friday is here for one very specific yet not overly exciting reason: I have a hair appointment. What!? I haven’t had my hair done since last June and IT IS TIME. While the beauty of balayage is that it grows out and doesn’t need regular touchups, I think 10 months is pushin’ it a bit. I’m hoping for something a little lighter and brighter for summer. Bring on the blonde!

As for the rest of our weekend, I’m not sure what the next few days have in store. With a relatively clear schedule, I’m hoping for the chance to tackle some household projects and spend some time outside if the weather cooperates and the rain on the forecast stays away. I really hope all of you have a fantastic weekend!

Things I’m Loving Friday

Framed Prayer for Baby

You know those friends or family members who somehow always know the BEST gifts to give? The kind of gifts that are the perfect blend of thoughtful, practical and oddly emotional? My friend Laurel is that kind of gift-giver and she brought me the most beautiful framed prayer for our new baby’s nursery when she came to visit last week. She sent the prayer to an Etsy shop (I can ask her the specific name if anyone is interested) and they created the most gorgeous framed picture I cannot wait to hang in our baby’s bedroom. It was such an incredibly thoughtful gift and I was so touched by her kindness.

My sister and brother-in-law actually gave us a framed prayer they wrote for Chase when I was pregnant with him in 2015 and it’s something I found myself reading over and over again in the middle of the night when I’d be up at all hours nursing him. It calmed me and made me smile and I’m happy I will now have a sweet prayer to hang in our new addition’s room as well.

Total Body Workout

I shared a snapshot of this workout on Instagram Stories yesterday but since it was my favorite workout of the week, I figured it deserved to be highlighted on the blog as well! I wanted to work my whole body quickly and efficiently but since my mind was all over the place on Thursday, I figured breaking the workout up into pieces would help me feel engaged and also help the time pass quickly. It’s worth a try if you’re looking for a total body burner with little bursts of cardio in the mix!

If you happened to stop by the blog earlier this week, you probably guessed this book would be featured in today’s post. After a brief reprieve from suspenseful thrillers, I jumped back into the genre with a bang when I began reading I Am Watching You. The book begins with Ella Longfield overhearing two men flirting with two young girls on a train. The conversation sets off a red flag in Ella’s mind when she hears the men admit they were recently released from prison. She debates calling for help but decides against it in the end. The next day she is filled with regret when she learns that one of the young girls, Anna, is missing. A year later, the story picks back up and Anna is still missing but now Ella begins to receive threatening letters that set her on high-alert and prompt her to reach out to a private investigator. I Am Watching You follows Ella and those closest to Anna in the year after her disappearance, setting off a page-turning story that had me wondering what really happened to Anna that night and whether or not Ella should be scared for her life as someone claims they are watching her. A big-time bonus for this book: I truly did not predict the ending at all!

I recently ordered two small boxes of warmer weather clothing for Chase from thredUP and was reminded, yet again, how much I love that site for quality second-hand clothes. Whenever I browse thredUP, I always sort by Chase’s size and will often sort by specific brands we love that I know fit him well. It makes the whole experience 10,000 times easier than carting Chase to a store and grabbing clothes off the rack as I try to keep him entertained. Online shopping (that’s super affordable!) wins out for me every time.

Pink Himalayan Salt

Several months ago I made the switch to using mostly pink Himalayan salt at home when I read an article about how standard table salt is processed. Why this never occurred to me before, I’ll never know, but the more I read about pink Himalayan salt, the more convinced I became that it was the salt we should regularly be using in our house. Pink Himalayan salt is thought to provide a myriad of benefits over traditional table salt, including improving respiratory problems, balancing pH levels, aiding digestion and inducing better sleep. (More details here!) Also, this may be in my head, but I swear it tastes better!

I briefly mentioned my love for ASOS’ maternity clothing (specifically the ASOS Outlet clothing) on my blog before and I think it’s safe to say that the ASOS site is my go-to resource for maternity clothing this pregnancy. The styles feel current but the prices are affordable and not over-the-top for something you’ll only wear for a limited amount of time. I placed another ASOS order earlier this week for some upcoming trips and events and threw a few everyday basic items into my cart as well. I cannot wait for everything to arrive and have high hopes for this delivery! I’m especially excited to try the black romper and think it will be really cute… or a huge disaster. At least their returns are free and easy, right!?